Paula Cooper, 45, died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. She was found dead in Indianapolis, Indiana. When she was 16, Cooper was sentenced to death for the murder of Ruth Pelke, 78. A Bible studies teacher from Gary, Indiana, Pelke was robbed and stabbed 33 times with a 12-inch butcher knife. When the crime was committed, in 1986, Cooper was 15. She and three other teens pretended they were interested in Bible study so they could gain access to Pelke’s home. The murdering thieves stole $10 and an old car.
Cooper confessed to her role in the murder and was sentenced to death. This sentence outraged human rights activists worldwide, including Pope John Paul II who demanded clemency for Cooper.
Two years after Cooper was sentenced to death, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in an unrelated case, Stanford v. Kentucky 492 U.S. 361 (1989), that those under 16 at the time of an offense couldn’t receive the death penalty. The court said such sentences were cruel and unusual punishment and thus unconstitutional.
Two years ago, Cooper was released from prison on June 17, 2013, after spending 28 years behind bars. Her sentence was reduced due to her behavior in prison, where she earned a bachelor’s degree.
(Note: In 2005, Roper v. Simmons 543 U.S. 551, held that it is unconstitutional to impose capital punishment for crimes committed while under the age of 18, which overturned statutes in 25 states that had the death penalty set lower.)
